Stranger Than Fiction: 10 Creepy Urban Legends Based on True Stories

Kittens, how many of you grew up on terrifying tales of hook-handed escaped lunatics lurking at lovers’ lanes and mysterious hitchhikers that disappeared after you picked them up? Creepy urban legends are our modern equivalent of folklore, stories meant to teach societal consequences of action; cautionary tales of the potentially terrifying consequences of deviating from acceptable behavior, where being eaten by a wolf after wandering into the forest becomes an intoxicated babysitter who mistakenly places her charges in the oven.

The more level-headed among us assume these tales are so horrifyingly implausible that they must be false. This, my darlings, is a false comfort, as premature burial and burrowing insects are more than just stories that go bump in the night. Check out this list compiled by YouTuber Matthew Santoro of 10 urban legends based on true stories for a little Thursday morning shiver, and let us know your favorite creepy story in the comments below!